Gov. Rick Snyder said the nearly 300 same-sex marriages performed on Saturday are legal but won’t be recognized by the state because of a stay put on a judicial decision that Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional.

“With respect to the marriages, we believe those are legal and valid marriages,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “The stay being issued makes it more complicated.

“Because of the stay, we won’t recognize the benefits of the marriage until there’s a removal of the stay,” he added.

About 300 same-sex couples got married in four Michigan counties on Saturday after a Friday ruling by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman in Detroit struck down the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

What's your reaction to the Governor's decision, Instincters?

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Original Post

It looks we'll soon have some clarity regarding the status of Michigan's same-sex marriages that occurred over the weekend before an indefinite stay was placed on the ruling that struck down the state's same-sex marriage ban.

It appears that the legal status of those marriages is currently in the hands of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.

Gov. Rick Snyder said Wednesday he wants to quickly decide the legal status of hundreds of same-sex marriages conducted after a judge struck down Michigan's gay marriage ban but before the ruling was halted.

The Republican governor could make an announcement later Wednesday after consulting with lawyers.

"Hopefully we'll be able to provide some clarity at least from our perspective on that relatively soon," Snyder told reporters after speaking at an agricultural summit near Lansing. "My job is to actually follow the law, and that's the issue we're analyzing right now."

The governor ideally will announce his decision Wednesday, but it could be later, spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said.

Snyder supported marriage as "between a man and a woman" in a 2010 Michigan gubernatorial debate.

Hopefully he's evolved on this issue and will make the right call as Michigan's newly married same-sex couples now wait in limbo.